1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to measurement devices for measuring fish, crustaceans and shellfish. More particularly, the present invention relates to measurement scales that inform a fisherman as to whether a fish, crustacean or shellfish is larger than the legal size permissible for capture.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There are many federal, state and local laws and regulations that limit the size of fish, crustaceans and shellfish that can be caught by a fisherman. The purpose of placing limits on the size of different species is to ensure that juvenile animals are not harvested before they have been given a chance to reproduce. This ensures that the population of the various fish, crustaceans and shellfish will not be depleted to a point where that species will become endangered.
The legal size limit for different species of sea life vary from species to species. Fish are typically measured by the length of there bodies between their nose and tail. Different species of fish have different minimum acceptable lengths.
Crustaceans such as lobsters and crabs are measured in different ways. Lobsters are measured from the collar of the neck to the tip of the tail. Crabs are measured by the width of their shells. Different species of crabs have different acceptable minimum shell sizes.
Shellfish, such as clams, scallops, muscles and the like are measured by either the width, thickness or girth of their shells, depending upon the species of shellfish and the local regulations. However, commonly if the shells of the shellfish can be passed through an aperture of a predetermined diameter, then they are too small to harvest.
When a fisherman goes to the beach and fishes or goes to a lake to fish, that fisherman never knows what kind of species of fish he/she will catch. A fisherman must therefore have the ability to measure that fish and determine if that fish meets the legal length limit. In the prior art, there have been many measurement devices designed for fishermen. Such prior art devices are exemplified by U.S. Pat. No. 5,097,617 to Craven, entitled Apparatus For Measuring Fish; U.S. Pat. No. 5,339,532 to O'Keefe, entitled Fish Length Measuring Device; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,228,226 to Porosky.
Although such prior art measurement devices give a fisherman the ability to measure different fish, such prior art devices are not designed to accommodate crustaceans or shellfish. When a fisherman fishes at the beach, the fisherman will often reel in a lobster or a crab that has snagged on the bait. If the fisherman had a prior art measuring device, the fisherman would not be able to accurately determine if the crustacean is of a legal size. Similarly, fisherman who fish with nets from ships often net numerous crustaceans along with fish. The fisherman must then have different measurement scales to determine if the fish and crustaceans are legal catches.
Fish and crustaceans that are pulled from the water must be measured and returned to the water rapidly so that the creatures do not die or otherwise become injured. Measuring devices must therefore be easy and quick to use. Many prior art measurement devices require that the measurement device be adjusted for each different species of fish. Obviously, such measurement devices are not useful for net fishermen who catch a large number of fish at the same time and the species of fish caught are widely varied.
Fisherman who fish at the beach often search for clams and collect muscles as they wait for fish to strike at the bait. In such a manner, a fisherman can return home with a catch of both fish and shellfish. The measurement devices used to measure shellfish are quite different than those used to measure fish. Shellfish are not measured by their length. Measuring scales for shellfish contain apertures for measuring the girth of the shells of the different species. As a result, a length measuring device designed for measuring fish is not very useful in measuring the girth of shellfish.
A need therefore exists in the art for a measuring device that can be used by fishermen that quickly and easily can be used to measure many different species of fish, crustaceans and shellfish. This need is met by the present invention as described and claimed below.